Quoted Text

CAPITAL REGION
STAR cuts will raise tax bills
Lower exemption approved by state
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

For the second consecutive year, state officials reduced the rate of both basic and enhanced School Tax Relief exemptions, meaning residents may pay a little more in taxes than they would otherwise.
    STAR exemptions were reduced by 11 percent this year and 10 percent last year.
    As a result, some municipalities are starting to field questions from residents who didn’t expect to see their school tax bills increase. Rotterdam Assessor Craig Surprise said his office has had a number of people asking about their school taxes after the town’s basic exemption dropped by more than $3,000.
    “People are asking me why and I keep telling them the state keeps .............>>>>...............>>>>...............................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....803&ViewMode=GIF

It was always a joke....it just was a veil over the contract agreements over and over and over and over......it hides the NYS LOTTO
, THE CONTRACTS AND THE LOBBISTS.....the voters/taxpayers just sit back and say: "at least they did that much"......

WHAT IS IN THE WATER FOLKS????

Quoted Text

Editorial: Extinguish STAR, but pass school tax cap
Thursday, September 17, 2009

As a story in Wednesday’s Gazette noted, New York state has been quietly cutting back on the tax relief it provides under the STAR (School Tax Relief) program. No great surprise there.
To balance the budget this year, lawmakers not only eliminated the annual rebate check for middle-class taxpayers instituted in 2006, they reduced the size of the exemption for school taxes by 11 percent (after cutting it 10 percent in 200. Supposedly, this was done to reflect falling real estate values — sort of a reverse cost-of-living adjustment — but who’s kidding whom? Both years, lawmakers were hard up for cash.
And after closing a nearly $18 billion gap earlier this year, they’re still hard up. In fact, just three months into the current fiscal year, state officials reported that a new $2.1 billion hole had opened up. So taxpayers can probably expect more raids on STAR — perhaps even its elimination................>>>>................>>>>..............http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/sep/17/917_printts/

How about cutting the wasteful spending and pork out of the budget it'll be easier to balance.

Why would the scholl administrator hear complaints??? He isn't the one who sends the bill out-they come from the town, and are collected by the town. Like the county tax that is labeled "State and Federal Mandate Fee!"

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Why would the scholl administrator hear complaints??? He isn't the one who sends the bill out-they come from the town, and are collected by the town. Like the county tax that is labeled "State and Federal Mandate Fee!"

.....and we go to school budget meetings and vote on the budgets that the 'school administrators set before us.......... why?

Are you suggesting that that's where the buck stops for them?

Someone better tell Ely that. That lets him and his administrators right off the hook, wouldntja say?

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Why would the scholl administrator hear complaints??? He isn't the one who sends the bill out-they come from the town, and are collected by the town. Like the county tax that is labeled "State and Federal Mandate Fee!"

Who gets to sign the freakin' contracts? Who makes the mandates? Who sends out STAR to buy votes?

THE MORONS WE VOTE IN!!!!! from the top down in NYS.....AND IT'S CROOKED AS HELL........

as for the feds---my back is killing me,,,please GET OFF........

How about the superintendents??????

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
STAR recalculation to lower city school tax Taxpayers will save an average of $90 on their bills
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    City residents will see a reduction on their school tax bills thanks to a recalculation in the STAR exemption.
    Many residents across the area are seeing larger-than-expected tax bills because of a state law change that reduced the amount of STAR exemption by 11 percent. However, because of the city’s recent reassessment, Schenectady taxpayers will save an average of about $90 on their bills, according to the school district.
    Board of Education Clerk Sal DeAngelo said Wednesday that the district had not exempted enough tax when the bills were originally mailed because it had calculated the taxes based on the state Offi ce of Real Property Services’ original estimates for the exemptions.
    State officials increased the exemption amounts because of the city’s recent reassessment. State officials notified the city in August that the new exemption levels for Schenectady are $34,000 for the basic exemption and $64,000 for enhanced STAR.
    The change affects nearly 9,000 property taxpayers. The school district bills in quarterly installments. The first bills were already sent out in late June and due July 31. The second installment of bills will begin arriving in people’s mailboxes around Sept. 25 and will be due in October.
    DeAngelo said the second installment payment will be discounted to reflect this change. The overpayment amounts to about $21 to $24 per installment for the average taxpayer.
    About 450 taxpayers have already paid their tax bill in full and will get a rebate, according to DeAngelo. “There will be no way around mailing them a refund,” he said.
    DeAngelo said the district may have to modify its billing practices in the coming years. It is a lengthy process for the state Office of Real Property Services to calculate the exemptions. “They need up to 60 days from the time the roll becomes available from the city assessor to provide you accurate basic and enhanced STAR exemptions.” ...................>>>>...................>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....405&ViewMode=GIF